Pontiac Solstice Seat Leather Installation

Pontiac Solstice Seat Leather Installation
To install a set of Katzkin® seat covers, start by removing both seats. This is done by unbolting four nuts that anchor
each seat down, two in the front and two in the rear.
Next, Disconnect any wiring harnesses that might be attached to the seat. Pay close attention as to how they are
connected so you do not damage them while unhooking them.
Continue by disconnecting the seatbelt attachment point. This is done removing one star bolt.
Once the nuts, seatbelt, and wire harnesses are removed from the seat, you can lift the seat directly up and out of the
car. Don’t try to take it out through the door opening as you might scratch interior pieces by swinging the seat. Just
lift it straight up and out.
With the seat on the ground, start removing the covering. Unzip the two zippers on either side of the back. Then,
unhook the plastic channels that hold the back and front of the seat upper together. This is done by simply sliding
them in different directions.
Once the zippers and the plastic channels have been separated, flip the back flap of the seat over the front so you have
access to the foam of the back. The next step is to remove the level that tilts the seat forward.
The end of the lever just slides off it’s post. It’s held in with a good bit of friction. You can loosen it by carefully
prying it off with a flathead wedged against it and the plastic surround.
The plastic surround is held in by four clips that snap outwards when it is inserted into the seat. You remove this
piece by using either a small screwdriver to push the clips inwards from the inside of the seat, or by using a right
angle pick (available at Home Depot or Sears).
Once the plastic surround is removed, the skin of the seat can be removed. It is held in with Velcro strips all around
the major seams. Just tug on it gently to remove it from the channels.
On the bottom section, start by removing the plastic retaining channels from the metal bars that they’re clipped into.
This can be done with either a flat tool or screwdriver. If you have an adjustable seat, you’ll have to remove the seat
position switch as well. This pops out from the inner most side of the control box and swings outward to reveal the
attachment harness which can then be unplugged.
Unbolt the two nuts on the side of the seat where the latches click over. There are plastic spacers on this post that are
aligned a certain way. There is also an arrow on these spacers. Remember which way it’s pointing so you can put
them back the way they were later. Continue by removing the nut and the spacer from the seat bottom.
The sides of the seat are removed by either unclasping a plastic channel (on electric seat sides) or by prying out four
plastic retaining clips as pictured below.
It is possible to remove these with a pair of needle nose pliers but a panel removal tools works wonders. Be careful
when prying these out as they are fragile and can break easily.
Once the sides are removed, the bottom cover can be removed from the seat cushion. At this point, the entire cushion
should be able to slide out for ease of covering. The passenger side cushion will have one harness attached for the
airbag sensor that can be removed for this step.
Now, it’s time to start installing the new leather skin onto the seats. Start by installing the top section. Turn the cover
inside out and lay the top over the headrest.
Make sure everything is aligned up as best as you can make it. Then, start rolling the cover down like a giant sock.
Press the Velcro sections in as you get to them making sure that they are aligned. Pull the cover tightly as you’re
installing it to minimize wrinkling.
Once the cover is on the back, start zipping both zippers down slowly working them down a little bit at a time and
going back and forth between the two. When the zippers are secure, tuck the excess line in the back of the seat and
attach the plastic channels together. You’ll have to pull them tight to get enough slack. The U channel from the back
accepts the grooved plastic from the front side after it flips up and over. This is the most difficult part of the install as
it can be tricky to flip the front plastic over and into the U channel. There are two side flaps that are also attached in
the same way but can be difficult to secure. The seat’s integrity is not compromised if you are not able to connect
these last two flaps. They can be simply tucked out of sight.
Next, the bottom leather gets installed. Start installing this the same way as the top half. Invert the leather cover and
roll it over the cushion like a sock. Feel free to compress the foam with your hands to be able to roll the leather over
the ends. If you have an electric adjustable seat on the driver’s side, cut a square where your control goes after you
secure all of the plastic channels over the metal retaining rods. For the driver’s side with the adjustable seat, your kit
will not come with channels on the side as your stock seats were. Simply tuck the plastic flaps under the seat instead.
Your install will not be compromised if these are not connected as before.
Once the cover has been installed on the bottom and all of the plastic fasteners have been connected, reinstall the
plastic spacers onto the posts remembering to align the arrow in the way it was when you took them off.
Next, cut a slit where the seat tilt lever goes and reinsert the plastic surround followed by the plastic peg. The seat
should be 100% complete as far as assembly goes at this point.
Due to the freshness of the leather and the stretching during install, you may notice a number of small wrinkles
around the seat. This is normal and these wrinkles will disappear with time and heat. To speed up the process, you
can leave your seats in the sun for an extended period of time. For an even quicker solution if you absolutely cannot
wait to let you seats dry naturally, you can purchase a high temp heat gun from a hardware store. Using the heat gun
at a temperature of approximately 850F, you can heat the leather up in the wrinkled areas to shrink it and remove the
wrinkles. Be carefully to keep the heat away from the threads and any synthetic materials that you might have
ordered on the seat. Note that the sides and back of the seat are vinyl just as the factory leather is. Be careful not to
heat this area as it will melt or become shiny.
Once everything is covered as you like, reinstall the seats into your Solstice remembering to connect all of the
harnesses you disconnected in the process. Now, stand back and enjoy your new interior.
For questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us by using the contact information found on the website. Thank
you for your purchase.
-JPMaccessories.com